Publishing Events Rebound in 2022

The KGL Team Reflects on a Busy Season of Live Conferences and Book Fairs

by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.

KGL’S Marion Morrow and Atul Goel at the London Book Fair

We at KGL have been out attending in-person events in force over the past three months for the first time since 2019, including #LBF22, #PCPA2022, #CSE2022, #SSP2022, #AUPresses2022, and #ISTELive. On the heels of such an intense burst of reacclimating, travel, and community engagement, we asked our resident industry experts across the scholarly, education, journals, and books publishing sectors to share: what was it like to be back out in the world and what are some of your impressions of the publishing industry in 2022?

Marion Morrow, Director of Sales, UK and Europe

It was clear from Day 1 of the London Book Fair 2022 that everyone was eager to make up for lost time. As always in the past, professional publishers had come from all over the world to take part in the unique experience that is LBF. Clearly, they had put their trust in the organisers to keep them as safe as possible while they attended live seminars, shared their post-Covid challenges with colleagues and vendors, and brought themselves up to date with all the latest developments in online and print technologies—AI, OA, Alt-text, Section 58, online hosting and global print solutions (to name just a few CJK Group specialities). The global publishing world was back in business!

Alexandra KaHLER at the cse Annual Meeting in phoenix

Alexandra Kahler, Editorial Director

It was such a pleasure to see so many colleagues and clients in person at this year’s CSE (Council of Science Editors) and SSP (Society for Scholarly Publishing) Annual Meetings. It seemed that the hiatus over the last 2 years resulted in quite a bit of pent-up content. There was a wealth of excellent sessions at both meetings and it was difficult to choose which concurrent sessions to attend. CSE had a number of sessions relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which were well-attended and helpful as organizations throughout our industry are seeking to increase diversity among their authorship, editorial boards, and staff. Application of AI to editorial process was a theme at both meetings, along with business models for success with Open Access journals.

KGL’s champagne toast at SSP was a highlight for me. It was a light-hearted moment, bringing together both long-time colleagues and new acquaintances, to celebrate our reunion as an industry and our opportunities to connect and collaborate with one another.

Sanjay Tangri, Senior Director, Content Services

It was great to get back to the in-person trade shows after a gap for 2 years. The attendance at CSE2022 was less than what we had seen in the pre-COVID years, however, SSP2022 was well attended. The organizers of these events took precautions like making it mandatory to present the proof of COVID vaccination, reminder to wear mask, making hand sanitizers available at the entrance, etc.

Some people preferred to attend the shows virtually. I think this trend of hybrid model, where some or all the sessions could be attended virtually will continue for the foreseeable future. 

Mike Groth, Director of Marketing

Like everyone, I was anxious about returning to big public events—and especially to fly overseas—but was pleasantly surprised by the buzz and enthusiasm in the air at both London Book Fair and the SSP Annual Meeting. Despite some hesitancy and confusion about masking and handshaking, there was clearly pent up demand to come together as a community and get back to business. Issues important to the industry, like speed to publication of critical research, taking advantage of new technologies, responding to Open Access requirements, promoting sustainable development goals, and elevating underrepresented voices all took on a new sense of urgency at this spring’s conferences and trade shows.

Waseem Andrabi, VP Learning Solutions

john beall of sheridan and waseem andrabi of kgl at the aupresses annual meeting in washington, dc

Even though Zoom and Teams have been great tools for staying in touch with customers over the past couple of years, they can’t replace the relationship-building aspects of in-person meetings. Conferences that I have been to in the last few months, including PCPA (Protestant Church-Owned Publishers Association), AUPresses (Association of University Presses) and ISTELive (the International Society for Technology in Education), have been well-attended and provided wonderful opportunities to interact with current and potential customers. Exhibiting alongside our sister-company, Sheridan, has also provided new opportunities to demonstrate value and present a one-stop solution for current areas of concern to book and journal publishers—from discovery and accessibility to sustainability and ed tech. I look forward to attending more events in the coming weeks and months and strengthening our partnerships with the market.

Tom Beyer, Platform Services Director, KGL PubFactory

I was both excited and a little worried about returning to in-person events but the SSP Annual Meeting proved to be a great meeting. It was lovely to see people again and I was struck by the degree to which there are certain kinds of conversations that just don't happen in a virtual context. It was also interesting to see how the conference organizers had taken the recent DEI momentum and applied it to the conference keynote—one of the best of any SSP that I've attended. I'm also excited by the rise of sustainable development goals as a topic and look forward to moderating a panel at the Charleston Conference in the fall on the topic.

Paul bozuwa of sheridan and atul Goel of Kgl at the ssp annual meeting in chicago

Susan Parente, Publications Marketing Manager, Sheridan

It was revitalizing to once again attend conferences in person. While it’s likely there’s really no ‘return to normal’, getting back into the swing of both the SSP Annual Meeting and the Association Media & Publishing Network Annual Meeting seemed to me to be as close as it gets. I enjoyed the fun of exhibiting, the chance to greet so many customers and friends, and the significance of the sessions. I even enjoyed the travel. Attendee excitement was palpable, and it felt like those who had spent months planning these meetings and working on session topics and presentations had much more invested this time around; things were meaningful. My favorite part by far, however, was the influx of younger members. I think it took me by surprise, but it was both exciting and gratifying to see so many fresh faces, eagerly making in-person connections, contributing to sessions, and embracing the organization and the relationships that will serve them well for years to come in both their professional and personal lives. All in all, I think the 2-year hiatus made the return to in-person all the sweeter.

Ann Link, Senior Consultant, KGL Consulting

I attended SSP Annual Meeting, which was my first in-person event since the Fall of 2021, and my first live event as a KGL employee!  It was wonderful to have those all-important side-conversations again—learning what publications are struggling with and how they are thinking about solving them. Catching up with old friends and colleagues in a way that hasn’t been possible for the last two years was certainly a highlight. The experience proved to me that it’s impossible to replace the value of serendipitous conversations had at face-to-face meetings.

Alison abrohms and sonny regelman at istelive in new orleans

Sonny Regelman, Executive Director, Learning Solutions

It was such a delight to be back at ISTELive, especially since it was held in New Orleans! The organizers were proactive about sharing the COVID protocols in advance, which was reassuring to me. Attendees and exhibitors alike seemed genuinely excited to be together again, and there was a lot to discuss since educational technology was at the epicenter of the educational pivot during the pandemic. The emerging themes that I noticed included digital citizenship, security of student information, embracing student involvement in social media, and optimizing ed tech in the post-pandemic era. Digital equity was a central topic of conversation because the pandemic magnified the gaps in access to ed tech. In fact, I heard the term “digital desert” used to describe locations where reliable digital access is absent. Consistent broadband access remains a need, even though hot spots were used as a temporary solution when teaching and learning moved online. More than anything else, I was impressed by the dedication of everyone at ISTE to ensuring that students are prepared for the future, whatever it may bring.

KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. (KGL) is the industry leader in editorial, production, online hosting, and transformative services for every stage of the content lifecycle. Look for us this autumn at #ALPSP2022, #FBM22, #DevLearn, and #CHSconf2022, or email us at info@kwglobal.com.